caesura

[si-zhoo r-uh, -zoo r-uh, siz-yoo r-uh]

See more synonyms for caesura on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural cae·su·ras, cae·su·rae

[si-zhoo r-ee, -zoo r-ee, siz-yoo r-ee] /sɪˈʒʊər i, -ˈzʊər i, sɪzˈyʊər i/.

Prosody. a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line, as in know then thyself ‖ presume not God to scan.
Classical Prosody. a division made by the ending of a word within a foot, or sometimes at the end of a foot, especially in certain recognized places near the middle of a verse.
any break, pause, or interruption.

Origin of caesura

1550–60; < Latin, equivalent to caes(us) cut (past participle of caedere) (caed- cut + -tus past participle suffix) + -ūra -ure

Related formscae·su·ral, cae·su·ric, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for caesura

break, pause, stop, rest, interval

Examples from the Web for caesura

Contemporary Examples of caesura

This is a detail from "Caesura" by Emily Henretta, on view now at Room East in New York.
Printed Circuit
Blake Gopnik
October 4, 2013

Historical Examples of caesura

Further, the caesura, where it occurs at all, may be masculine as well as feminine.
A History of English Versification
Jakob Schipper
This caesura, like the end of the line, may be either masculine or feminine.
A History of English Versification
Jakob Schipper
I had no idea of caesura, my gestures destroyed its harmony, etc., etc.
Delsarte System of Oratory
Various
The caesura is an important, though not essential, element in Spanish verse.
Legends, Tales and Poems
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
The "Nibelungen" strophe consists of four long lines separated by a caesura into two distinct halves.
The Nibelungenlied
Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for caesura

caesura

noun plural -ras or -rae (-riː)

(in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse lineUsual symbol: ||
(in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line

Derived Formscaesural, adjective

Word Origin for caesura

C16: from Latin, literally: a cutting, from caedere to cut

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for caesura

1550s, from Latin caesura, "metrical pause," literally "a cutting," from past participle stem of caedere "to cut down" (see -cide).